End-functionalized polymers by controlled/living radical polymerizations: synthesis and applications
Abstract
The precise design of polymers with well-defined end functionality has received great interest for synthesizing polymeric materials with advanced or distinctive properties. In the past decades, considerable attention has been devoted to the synthetic approaches of end-functionalized polymers by controlled/living radical polymerization (CLRP), which is now a cornerstone of the synthesis of functional polymers. This review comprehensively summarizes the synthetic methods to prepare end-functionalized polymers fabricated by CLRP techniques, including atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, stable free radical polymerization (SFRP), iniferters, iodine transfer polymerization (ITP), cobalt mediated radical polymerization (CMRP), and organometallic radical polymerization (OMRP). The methods basically follow the principles of taking advantage of functional initiators (iniferters) or post-modifying the reactive chain-ends, by which a wide variety of mono- or di-end-functionalized polymers can be obtained. We also reviewed the application of end-functionalized polymers including formation of bioconjugates and hybrid nanostructures, surface modification, synthesis of polymers with diverse topologies, and induction of self-assembly.